The Banks Of The Clyde (MacEdward Leach)
AKA: (Geordie) or (A Lad In The Scots Brigade)

On the banks of the Clyde
stood a lad and his lassie,
The lad's name was Gordie
the lassie's was Jane;
She threw her arms 'round him
and cried do not leave me,
For Gordie was going for
to fight for his queen.
She gave him a lock of
her bright auburn tresses,
He kissed her and pressed her
once more to his heart;
Till eyes spoke the love
that her lips could not utter,
The last word is spoken
they kissed and depart.

Over the burning plains of Egypt,
Under the scorching sun,
When he thought of the stories
he'd have to tell his love,
When the fight was won.
He treasured with care
that dear lock of hair,
For his own darling Jenny he prayed;
But his prayers were in vain,
she will ne'er see him again,
Her lad in the Scots brigade.

Now the ocean divided
the lad from his lassie,
And Gordie was forced
far away o'er the foam;
His roof was the sky
and his bed was the desert,
But his heart with his Jenny
was always at home.
Now the morning that dawned
on that famed day of battle,
Found Gordie enacting
a true hero's part;
Till the enemy's bullet
came into his billet,
And it burned, oh,
that dear lock of hair on his heart.

Over the burning plains of Egypt,
Under the scorching sun,
When he thought of the stories
he'd have to tell his love,
When the fight was won.
He treasured with care
that dear lock of hair,
For his own darling Jenny he prayed;
But his prayers were in vain,
she will ne'er see him again,
Her lad in the Scots brigade.

On the banks of the Clyde
dwelt a heart-broken mother,
They told her of how
the great victory was won;
But the glory of England
to her brought no comfort,
For glory to her meant
the loss of her son.
But Jenny is with her
to comfort and shield her,
Together they'll weep
and together they'll pray;
And Jenny her daughter will be
while she lives,
For the sake of the lad
who died far away.

MacEdward Leach also collected a variant published as #133, The Banks Of The Clyde, in Folk Ballads And Songs Of The Lower Labrador Coast by the National Museum of Canada (Ottawa, 1965) Crown Copyrights Reserved.

A variant was also recorded as A Lad In The Scots Brigade by Tommy Nemec singing acapella the songs he heard sung by his grandfather, John P Myrick [1900-1984] with Thomas (Tom) Finlay [1885-?] at house parties in St Shotts and on Cape Pine, NL (Songs From The Cape, trk#2, 2003, Backcove Music, St John's, NL, recorded at the Cape Pine Lightstation).

Notes: The British were fighting in the Sudan between 1882 and 1898. This song became popular in Canada and was recorded by the BBC in 1953, but never became popular in England.